THE GOVERNMENT “cannot afford to drag its feet” on ensuring medical supplies are not disrupted after Brexit, MPs have warned, as they demanded ministers publish plans on how to safeguard the import and export of lifesaving drugs after the split.

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But Brexiteers have previously branded claims of shortages a resurrection of ‘Project Fear’, insisting EU-based drugs firms will want to continue selling their products to Britain.

In a new report, the committee said the Department "could not assure us of its plans to safeguard the supply of medicines after the UK has exited the European Union".

And the study found the Department had been ”slow to take action to manage the financial impact" of sudden increases in the prices of some generic drugs - which cost the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds last year.

Meg Hillier, chairwoman of the committee, said the surge in prices "should have served as a wake-up call" for the Government.

Meg Hillier said the Department of Health had shown a 'worrying' lack of planning for Brexit (Image: GETTY IMAGES)

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The Labour MP said: "While the Department of Health and Social Care now has new powers at its disposal, it could not explain to us how these will better enable it to handle similar price increases and related shortages in future.

"This is unacceptable and doubly worrying in the context of uncertainty over supply chains after Brexit, particularly for medicines with a short shelf-life.

"Government cannot afford to drag its feet on this critical issue, either now or after Brexit.

"By the end of this year we expect it to demonstrate it has a clear plan to ensure patients can access the medicines they need, and to mitigate the impact of price rises on desperately stretched NHS resources."

MPs demanded the Government share its plan for maintaining the supply of medicines before and after Brexit by December.

The committee was told Brexit "is not expected to affect where the NHS obtains it medicines" with many made outside the European Union.

However the Department said it was looking into contingency planning for general threats to supply, including events such as strikes in other countries, the report said.

Last month it emerged ministers had begun talks with drug companies about covering the cost of stockpiling extra medicines in the event of no deal.

Pharmacies and hospitals could face shortages of medicines in a disorderly Brexit (Image: GETTY IMAGES)

Health secretary Matt Hancock said the discussions were part of the Government’s “responsible planning for a no-deal”.

In August, the head of NHS Providers, which represents hospitals and ambulance services in England, warned a hard exit could spark chaos for NHS facilities.

In a shock leaked letter, chief executive Chris Hopson accused ministers of failing to prepare for the split and claimed health trusts had been forced to draw up their own contingency plans to stockpile drugs.